UK Legal News – A fixed Fee Review and Best Practice Report For In-House Legal Teams

LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire – In 2007 the new Solicitors Regulation Authority published revised rules of conduct for all solicitors which, for the first time, indicate requirements for in-house solicitors to have effective management processes in place.

LBC Wise Counsel was established in the year 2000 and throughout the last seven years we have assisted literally dozens of in-house legal teams to develop their strategic and operational effectiveness. In doing so we have developed innovative and cost effective solutions to most issues in-house teams face, whatever their size or scope.

Now, for the first time, LBC Wise Counsel has put together a ten point best practice review for in-house teams and for a fixed fee, fixed duration assignment, we will provide an insightful analysis of the standing of an in-house team on a range of key indicators.

The resulting report is much more than an informal benchmark but is potentially a powerful development tool for time pressured teams. In our judgement, every team can benefit from a periodic sense-check based on a thoughtful, empathetic but independent and experienced view.

Paul Gilbert, Chief Executive of LBC Wise Counsel, said:

“All good in-house teams strive to find indicators of value; we have now brought together seven years of consultancy experience working across the world with some of the brightest and best to provide an accessible and affordable means to realise potential.”

Getting valuable external support and best practice guidance on the major strategic and operational issues has never been more accessible. And while we know that budgets are always tight we have pitched the fee to be affordable for most, representing, in all likelihood, a fraction of the annual cost of outsourced legal work.

The review is designed to be valuable to all teams at all stages of their development, but will have particular benefit in situations where resources are under review, where recruitment is planned, businesses are undergoing transformatory change, a new senior lawyer has been appointed or where the team simply wish to verify and establish their organisational priorities.

The ten areas of assessment and review are:

1. Managing work in progress and the effectiveness of WIP reporting
2. Identifying areas of unmet legal need
3. Structured Team and personal development planning
4. Assessment of articulated value attributed to the team
5. Appointment process for external lawyers
6. Management and evaluation process for external lawyers
7. Alignment capability to business strategies
8. Prioritisation of activity and effective deployment of resources
9. Development of self-help tools, use of technology and “know-how” transfer
10. User satisfaction with legal resources

The assignment will be conducted over a tight timeframe using LBC’s own assessment methodology designed specifically for the in-house sector. The planned activity will be undertaken in such a way as to minimise disruption and will include pre-assignment reading and desk-top analysis, some time on site to meet with colleagues, the study report and a presentation of the report’s findings in person to the commissioning lawyer.

The fixed fee is agreed in advance and works on a sliding scale over four levels reflecting the size and complexity of the team under review. The fee range is from £10,950 plus VAT to £31,950 plus VAT.

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